


Take A Break

by seonghwhydoidothis



Series: Hybrid Seventeen Drabbles [3]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Cat!Hybrid Jihoon, Cat/Human Hybrids, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrid AU, It's soft jiji, Jeonghan is so done with the both of them smh, Jihoon is so smol, Jihoon is very scared for the majority of this fic, Jihoon subconsciously scratches himself :(, Jisoo is in the hospital, Jisoo needs to take a gd break, Lots of anxiety, M/M, Meanie is mentioned one (1) time, S l e e p Jisoo, hybrid seventeen, meanie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:54:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26514010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seonghwhydoidothis/pseuds/seonghwhydoidothis
Summary: Jisoo knows he hasn't been sleeping well, but he just hasso much work. Jihoon, his cat hybrid, is not pleased by this rather lackluster sleeping arrangement, but what can he do?
Relationships: Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu
Series: Hybrid Seventeen Drabbles [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1874296
Comments: 6
Kudos: 67





	Take A Break

**Author's Note:**

> soft hybrid jiji soft hybrid jiji soft hybrid jiji _soft hybrid jiji_  
>  Poor sad anxious kitten Jihoon :( I cried while writing this

Jisoo knew he hadn’t been getting enough sleep. He’d been working extra hard the past few nights, often not going to bed before three. His cat hybrid, Jihoon, was the sleepiest person Jisoo had ever met, so Jihoon was _not_ pleased when Jisoo failed to come to bed until it was nearly time for him to get up. How was he supposed to get cuddles if Jisoo wouldn’t even join him in bed?

So Jihoon solves that problem for himself, by planting himself firmly on Jisoo’s lap before the man could pick up his laptop to begin working for the night. 

“Hoonie? Whatcha doin’?” Jisoo hummed at the kitty, cupping the cat hybrid’s chubby cheeks in his hands and squishing them lightly.

“ ‘M sick of not sleeping next to you anymore. If you’re not coming to sleep with me then I’ll come to sleep with you.”

“Sorry Hoonie. You know I want to, it’s just I have so much-”

“Work, yeah I know. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t still get my cuddles for the day.” Jihoon squirmed in Jisoo’s hold, tugging his face out of the older man’s grip and tucking it into Jisoo’s neck. His head rested on Jisoo’s shoulder as the man typed away on his laptop, doing god knows what for a job that Jihoon didn’t understand.

Jihoon knew that Jisoo worked hard, he just didn’t know at what. Something to do with apartments, he knew that Jisoo had to talk to angry residents a lot. One had even interrupted Jihoon’s daily dose of pets, he still hadn’t forgiven them. Jihoon was just soured towards Jisoo’s entire job at this point. It kept taking Jisoo away from him.

Jihoon didn’t know what time he fell asleep that night, nose pressed into Jisoo’s throat and tail wound loosely around the man’s wrist, but he did know that when he awoke to Jisoo carting him to their bedroom, it was entirely too late- er, early.

“Jisoo?” Jihoon reluctantly lifted his head from the warmth and comfort that Jisoo’s shoulder had provided, squinting in the darkness of the room to see where they were.

“G’back to sleep Hoonie. Just getting into bed.”

Jihoon hummed, letting his head drop back down onto Jisoo’s shoulder and his eyes slip shut once more. 

\--

Jihoon woke up the next morning and Jisoo was already gone. Of course, he had woken up at almost two in the afternoon, but still, Jisoo could have said goodbye. Jihoon wished that he could lie under the blankets on the bed forever, drinking in the warmth and coziness, but his stomach felt like it was collapsing. He’d get back into bed _right_ after breakfast. Lunch? A snack? This is what Jihoon got for waking up so late. 

Jihoon trudged to the fridge, seeing a neon blue sticky-note attached to the door. 

_‘Hoonie, I left early this morning, sorry I didn’t say goodbye. I’ll be home at five, I promise I won’t stay late again! Love you xx’_

Jihoon couldn’t help the small smile that slid onto his face when he read the end of the message. Jisoo never broke a promise. Jihoon heated up a slice of pizza in the microwave, sadness ebbing away bit by bit as he thought about what he would do with Jisoo tonight. They’d watch a movie, and maybe they could build a pillow fort. Cuddles were always the best in a fort. Jihoon didn’t make the rules, just followed them.

\--

Jisoo shot a hand out to brace himself against the counter, his head spinning as a migraine raged just behind his eyelids. 

“You okay?” Jeonghan placed a hand on his coworker’s shoulder when it looked like the man was going to keel over, hauling the man upright and guiding him into a chair.

“Yeah, Think so. Just got dizzy, it’s fine.”

“Jisoo, how many hours of sleep have you gotten in the past week?” Jeonghan raised an eyebrow, giving Jisoo a look that reminded the man of his mother when he’d lied to her.

“Um, I dunno. Enough, I guess.”

“Clearly not. Just go home, I’ll cover for you. You need sleep, you can’t keep overworking yourself.”

“I know, but-”

“No buts! Go home Jisoo.”

Jisoo sighed, nodding and standing, bracing his hands on the table for balance. It wasn’t enough. The last thing he saw before his vision went out was Jeonghan falling to his knees beside him, a hand reaching out to rest over Jisoo’s forehead and a scream tearing itself from his throat, _‘Someone call an ambulance!’_

\--

Jihoon was sitting on the couch, legs tucked underneath him as his tail swayed excitedly in the air behind him. It was five minutes to five, and Jisoo was going to be home soon. Jihoon had a warm cup of cocoa ready for the both of them, there was popcorn in the microwave staying warm, and a bath bomb and bath paint laid on the side of the tub, in preparation for the bath that Jihoon was going to force Jisoo into. They’d bought the bath paints when Jisoo’s niece had come over to visit, and she’d been able to paint on the walls of the tub without permanently damaging anything. Now Jihoon and Jisoo just used them to smear across each other’s faces during showers or baths. 

The clock hands seemed to be moving in slow motion but after what must have been an _hour_ of waiting, the big hand finally ticked up to point at the 12, and Jihoon’s ears were perked up, listening for the sound of Jisoo’s car in the driveway. Nothing yet. But that was to be expected, Jihoon knew that Jisoo had a nasty amount of traffic on his way home. 

Five minutes after five had Jihoon’s ears twitching slightly, still perked but much less stiff. Ten minutes had Jihoon sitting much father back on the couch, a tiny pout on his face. Jisoo could have at least _called_. Twenty minutes after five and Jihoon was wrapped in a blanket, everything above his nose being the only things visible over the fabric. His ears were droopier, no longer swiveling this way and that, just still in their place. 

By the time that thirty minutes had passed, tears were dripping down Jihoon’s cheeks. He bundled himself tighter in the blanket but nothing could replicate the feeling of Jisoo’s arms around him, nothing was tight enough, nothing was warm enough, nothing was comforting enough, _nothing was enough_.

Jihoon stood, fingers gripping tightly at the edges of the blanket. He kept himself tucked tight inside its warmth, though it didn’t do a thing to calm his raging nerves. He wasn’t stupid. He’d been abandoned before. He just didn’t think that Jisoo would do it. He’d lived with the man for three years, you’d think that if he’d wanted to get rid of Jihoon so badly, he’d have done it sooner. 

Jihoon stumbled into (once) their shared bedroom, despair written all over his face as tears continued to trail down his cheeks, ducking under his chin and staining the neckline of his shirt. He needed to be held tight, needed to be secure, needed to be safe, somewhere dark, where no one could invade his space, where he could be alone to cry.

He dove under the bed without another thought. His legs tucked themselves tight to his chin, and his arms wrapped securely around them. He bawled, cried messy and loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

He didn’t know how much time passed while he cried, but the light in the room dimmed and Jihoon couldn’t see it from under the bed anymore. He finally cried himself out, lying limp under the bed with his blanket tangled around him.

He wanted to die.

\--

Jisoo usually woke up to Jihoon hugging the life out of him, but this time there was no cuddly cat hybrid clinging to him, instead, a funny feeling on his arm. He looked down groggily, seeing an IV puncturing his arm, taped to his skin. He started slightly, eyes suddenly finding it much easier to stay open.

Jeonghan caught the movement from the corner of his eye, standing and slamming a hand on the ‘call nurse’ button.

“I told you. I _told_ you, you weren’t sleeping enough. Your body _shut_ down, that’s not good. Do you know how worried we all were?” Jeonghan’s lecture sent a jolt of pain through Jisoo’s head and he winced.

“I know, I know. Where’s Jihoon?”

“Uh, where did you leave him last?”

JIsoo’s eyes went wide, “You mean you didn’t get him?!”

“No, why would I have to get him?”

“Because I promised him I’d be home by five today, what time is it?!”

“Nine forty-five. Should I go and get him?”

“Oh my god, yes, please, call me when you’re there, I’m sure he’s upset.” Jeonghan grabbed his keys and left the room, leaving Jisoo to throw his head back against the pillows. He just hoped that Jihoon was okay.

\--

Jihoon’s claws had long since come out to scrape down his arms, leaving angry red marks in their wake. He hadn’t broken skin, but he wasn’t really paying attention to what he was doing, moving purely out of reflex.

Jihoon heard the front door open and he knew that it had to be the shelter officials there to take him, the ones that Jisoo had called to take him away so that he could finally come back home. He silenced his cries to avoid being found, sniffling pitifully to himself and burying his face in his blanket. 

“Jihoon? Jihoon, are you home? Jihoon,” Jeonghan traipsed through Jisoo’s home, eyeing the mugs of cocoa on the table, definitely cold by now, and the pillow knocked onto the floor. 

“Hey, Jihoon? Jihoon, it’s me, Jeonghan, where are you?” He poked his head into Jisoo’s office, seeing no one in the chair or on the couch. He then checked the hall bathroom, but the door was wide open and no one was there.

Jeonghan sighed, pushing open the door to Jisoo and Jihoon’s bedroom and feeling his heart sink when there was no sign of the cat hybrid in there either. Jeonghan stepped forward to check that bathroom and his foot landed on something thick, Jeonghan looked down to see the corner of a blanket poking out from under the bed.

“Jihoon? Are you- Oh god…” Jeonghan peered under the bed and caught sight of the tiny ball that Jihoon had made himself into, gently reaching an arm out to rest beside the boy.

“Jihoon, Jisoo is okay.”

Jihoon wanted to cover his cat ears, knowing that it was all just a trick to get him to let his guard down, to make him come out and then he’d get taken away forever, but he _wasn’t_ falling for it, he wasn’t letting anyone take him.

“Jihoon, Jihoon, he’s okay, look at me, he’s okay.”

Jihoon shook his head vehemently, refusing to let Jeonghan get to him enough to where he’d look the man in the eyes, admit defeat.

“Jihoon,” Jeonghan sighed lightly, trying to wedge himself under the bed so that he could reach the trembling hybrid. Jihoon knew the lanky human wouldn’t be able to, so he wasn’t too concerned, still, he curled himself up just a little tighter. 

The closest Jeonghan could get was having his head jammed between the bed and the floor, praying that he’d be able to get out again. He was able, with this new leverage, to gently brush the tips of his fingers over one of Jihoon’s soft black ears, and it made the cat hybrid yowl in terror.

“Leave me alone! I won’t fall for it, if he wants to get rid of me, he can come here himself and say it all to my face!” Jihoon pressed himself even further back into the corner, though the human’s fingers still grazed his arm. 

“Jihoon, Jisoo’s not getting rid of you, he just got a little hurt and he’s in the hospital now. He’s okay, he just can’t come home yet.”

“Stop! You’re gonna get me into your car and then drive me to a shelter! I’m not stupid, just stop! It won’t work!”

“Jihoon, I’m not messing with you. Jisoo passed out at work, you’ve noticed he hasn’t been sleeping?”

Jihoon thought for a moment, “Yes…”

“Yeah, it caught up to him. He wants to see you, please let me take you there.”

“No! No, you’re lying.”

“Jihoon, I’m not lying! Here, I’ll call him. He can tell you himself, like you wanted.” Jeonghan dug his hand into his pocket, fishing out his phone and calling Jisoo. He had put the man’s phone on the bed next to him, hopefully he knew it was there.

“Jeonghan?” Jisoo’s voice was slightly hoarse from disuse, but it was alert.

“Jihoon,” Jeonghan slid the phone under the bed, “Here. Tell him what you told me, talk to him.”

“No!” Jihoon rolled away from the phone, clapping his hands flat over his ears, tail flicking in annoyance, “I told you, I’m not that stupid! You can’t trick me!”

Jeonghan could hear Jisoo’s muffled voice come from the phone and he sighed, reaching under the bed to yank it back towards him, pressing the speaker button.

“-ihoon? Jihoon, what’s wrong? Where are you? What’s g-”

“He’s upset. He thinks you’re abandoning him. He thinks I’m supposed to take him back to a shelter for you.”

There was radio silence on Jisoo’s end, before a broken whisper came through, “Jihoon, _no_.”

Jihoon squirmed in the little ball that he’d curled himself into, clamping his hands even tighter over his ears, “Stop! Stop it, just tell me the truth! Stop lying, stop _lying_!”

“Jihoon! Jihoon, I’m sorry! I know you’re scared, but _please_ , you know me, you know I’d never just abandon you, you have to know that by now.”

“But you _promised_ , you promised, you’re not here and you promised.”

“I’m sorry. I should have been taking better care of myself. It’s my fault, but please Hoonie, you know I’d never dump you. I love you, you know that.”

Jihoon’s resolve was weakening and _he_ hated it, he wanted so badly to believe that this was all true, but Jisoo had promised to be home by five, he’d broken his promise, it was going just like every other home that Jihoon had been in. 

“Hoonie? You don’t have to come, if you don’t want to. But I’d like you here. I don’t want to sleep alone. And I know you don’t like to, either. Are you under the bed?”

Jihoon hummed, eyes scrunched tight in anxiety. He was slowly letting himself be talked into leaving, but under the bed was his safe space, and he knew that anything that happened outside of it might mean that he’d never get to go back.

“Okay. I don’t know when they’ll release me, I think they want me to rest. Again, you don’t have to come, I won’t force you. But I miss you. I’m sorry that I couldn’t come home today. I love you. Hope you know that.”

Jihoon let the silence surround him, the guilt that he felt for refusing to join Jisoo at the hospital now at equal measure with his fear of abandonment. He peeked open his eyes, seeing Jeonghan staring back at him from his (very uncomfortable) position half under the bed. The man gave him a kind smile, and Jihoon felt the scale tip.

“Love you too. ‘M coming.”

\--

Jihoon was shaky in the car, hands gripping the armrest and the door for stability. Jeonghan drove carefully, but it seemed agonizingly slow, almost as if the man was teasing him.

Jeonghan kept the conversation light and chatty, asking Jihoon about the small garden that he and Jisoo had started a few weeks back, checking in on all of their plants. Jihoon answered in a soft voice, strained as he kept his eyes on the road ahead.

“Can’t wait to steal some of the strawberries when they’re grown.” Jeonghan teased, sighing softly when he got no response, “What’re you thinking about?”

“You know.”

“Yeah, but I wanna hear you say it. Because I think if you say it out loud for me, after that phone call you just had, you’ll realize you were freaking out over nothing. So go on, tell me what you’re thinking about.”

“Just take me to the hospital.”

“You know, I think you hurt his feelings. He loves you with everything in him, and he goes above and beyond to make sure that you know that. Now, I understand that past experiences can be scary, but I think that the three years that Jisoo has spent treating you like a god should be enough to quell your fears. We’re getting dinner first, I’m assuming you haven’t eaten, and neither have I. What do you want?”

Jeonghan pulled into a fast food drive-thru, stopping for a quick moment in front of the menu to squint at it. Jihoon gave Jeonghan his order, supplying Jisoo’s order when he was asked. He didn’t know he had it memorized. 

Jeonghan said nothing else while they sat in the drive-thru, doing god knows what on his phone when they were stopped behind someone. Jihoon was left to sit completely ignored, mulling the man’s words over in his mind. While trust issues were a valid problem for him, Jeonghan had a point. Jihoon couldn’t remember one single time that Jisoo had ever treated him as anything less than equals, oftentimes in fact, Jisoo put Jihoon’s needs before his own.

Jihoon got to wondering, _was it his fault that Jisoo was in the hospital_? Jisoo worked to pay for a big enough apartment for the both of them, and for enough food for two, and oftentimes, bought Jihoon quality cuts of fish just because he wanted to see the cat hybrid smile. Was it Jihoon’s fault that Jisoo was now up later, working harder, and sleeping less?

The cat hybrid got lost in his thoughts, partially extended claws digging into the palms of his hand and carving little crescents into the flesh. Jihoon only snapped out of his spiral of thoughts when the car stopped and Jeonghan handed him a bag of the fast food that they’d picked up.

“He’s on the third floor, he’s got an IV in, don’t freak out when you see it. ‘M not sure what he needs it for, nurse said something about fluid replenishment. ‘M not a doctor.” Jeonghan led Jihoon to the front doors of the hospital, though they were stopped short at the reception desk.

“Oh, excuse me, hybrids aren’t allowed inside. We only allow service animals.”

“Uh, I don’t think that has anything to do with hybrids. He’s a person, you know. He’s just here to see my friend.”

“Sir, he’s _not allowed_ -”

“I’m not paying our hospital bill if you don’t let him in. You can deal with it yourselves.” Jeonghan knew that this was a very empty threat, because there was no way that he’d get by with just dumping bills back onto the hospital, but hey, it was worth a shot.

“You’re also bringing food inside.” The receptionist glared down at the bags in their hands, “Patients are restricted to the foods that we provide in order to maintain their health.”

“Who says we’re giving any of it to the patient? Listen, this was pretty unexpected, and we’re all freaked out. He’s not gonna go _feral_ , he just wants to see the patient.”

The nurse glowered at them both but Jeonghan somehow had the superhuman ability to persuade anyone of anything, anytime, anywhere, and they were soon off down the hallway towards the elevator. 

“So, you thought about what I said?” Jeonghan didn’t turn to face Jihoon in the elevator, keeping his eyes locked firmly on his own reflection in the metal doors.

“A little.”

“And?”

“I’m still scared. But I love him. And,” Jihoon felt his cheeks heat up at how open he was being, “And he loves me, and that’s enough.”

The elevator door dinged and they slid open, revealing a hallway identical to the one they’d just left. Pristine, white, and eerie. Jeonghan smiled warmly at Jihoon, grabbing the cat hybrid’s hand in his own and leading him down the hallway. Jeonghan, besides Jisoo of course, was the only person allowed to touch Jihoon whenever he wanted. Jihoon has had to scratch Mingyu, Wonwoo’s excited puppy hybrid, many times, because the giant fool just would not learn that Jihoon was not very fond of being tackled. Then, Mingyu always fake cried, forcing crocodile tears to drip down his cheeks as he crawled into Wonwoo’s lap, interrupting whatever conversation had been taking place. Mingyu always whined to Wonwoo about his scratches, and Wonwoo always told Mingyu that it was his fault. Jihoon liked Wonwoo. 

Jeonghan knocked on the doorframe, using his and Jihoon’s intertwined hands to tug the cat hybrid into the doorway.

Jisoo’s face brightened tenfold at the sight of Jihoon, and the cat hybrid wasted no time in running to the bed, crawling into Jisoo’s lap and resting his head on the man’s chest. He was straddling Jisoo in the man’s hospital bed, so Jihoon’s legs didn’t really have anywhere to go, but it’s not like he needed much room for them, either. 

Jisoo cooed at his cat hybrid, kissing his forehead, his ears, his nose, his cheeks, the crown of his head, Jihoon’s arms wound around Jisoo’s torso, and Jisoo caught sight of the blotchy red marks on the cat hybrid’s arms.

“Hey, what happened?” Jisoo pried one of Jihoon’s arms out from around his stomach, ghosting over the raging red patch with the tips of his fingers.

“Um,” Jihoon tried to think of when it had happened, he couldn’t remember when the stinging pain had started in his arms but he couldn’t pinpoint when, “I dunno. Probably did it under the bed.”

“You don’t remember?”

Jihoon shook his head, and Jisoo tugged on the catboy’s other arm to examine it for any lacerations. Jeonghan mumbled something about finding a nurse to ask about Jisoo’s release date, but Jisoo knew he was just letting them have a moment alone. For that, he was grateful.

Jisoo noticed the fading marks on Jihoon’s palms, small half circles from the hybrid’s nails.

“Hoonie, these too?”

“I didn’t know,” Jihoon’s cheeks were heating up the longer Jisoo scrutinized his injuries, not liking how weak it made him feel.

“I’m not upset with you. I just wish this could have gone differently.”

“Me too,” Jihoon gently tugged his arm out of Jisoo’s grip, ducking his head down to rest on the human’s shoulder again, “I had a whole night planned.”

“Oh? What were we gonna do?”

“I made us cocoa and popcorn, and we were gonna watch a movie, and then I was gonna make you take a bath so that I could wash your hair and give you a massage-”

“Are you trying to tell me something?” Jisoo reached a hand up to run through his hair and Jihoon laughed.

“No, ‘s just relaxing. You work too hard. And then I was gonna force you into bed by eight thirty at the latest.”

Jisoo hummed, “That sounds wonderful. I’m sorry I missed it. You think I can make it up to you tomorrow night instead?”

“But aren’t you going back to work again?” Jihoon had hoped that this home-by-five thing was permanent, but he wasn’t that naive. 

“Not for a week. Jeonghan called me out. He wants me to rest.”

Jihoon smiled and though Jisoo couldn’t see it, he felt it happen as Jihoon’s face was pressed tightly into his throat, “I’ll make fresh popcorn and cocoa when we get home.”

\--

Jeonghan came back ten minutes later with a nurse and the two of them found Jisoo and Jihoon fast asleep, both worn out from the days that they’d had. The nurse bit back a smile at the sight, and Jeonghan didn’t bother hiding his, snapping a picture that he knew Jisoo would ask for later.

“He’s going to be totally fine, just make sure he rests for a while. He can leave come morning.” The nurse waited for Jeonghan to nod and thank her before ducking out of the room.

Jeonghan grabbed his jacket, and his dinner, ducking down to press a kiss to each man’s forehead before turning and leaving the hospital room. He would be more worried about Jisoo’s sleep schedule, what was stopping it from happening again? But Jeonghan knew the answer to that. Jihoon. As long as Jihoon had this to hold over Jisoo’s head, the man wouldn’t be getting any less than twelve hours of sleep a day for quite a while.


End file.
